Magnetic Polarity of Upper Triassic Sediments of the Germanic Basin in Poland
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Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae (2015), vol. 85: 663–674. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14241/asgp.2015.026 MAGNETIC POLARITY OF UPPER TRIASSIC SEDIMENTS OF THE GERMANIC BASIN IN POLAND Jerzy NAWROCKI 1, Karol JEWU£A2, Aleksandra STACHOWSKA3 & Joachim SZULC2 1 Polish Geological Institute – NRI, Rakowiecka 4, PL- 00-975 Warszawa, Poland; e-mail: [email protected] 2 Institute of Geological Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Oleandry 2a, PL-30-063 Kraków, Poland; e-mails: [email protected]; [email protected] 3 Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw, al. ¯wirki i Wigury 93, PL-02-089 Warszawa, Poland; e-mail: [email protected] Nawrocki, J., Jewu³a, K., Stachowska, A. & Szulc, J., 2015. Magnetic polarity of Upper Triassic sediments of the Germanic Basin in Poland. Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae, 85: 663–674. Abstract: Palaeomagnetic results are presented for 205 samples of cores from the Ksi¹¿ Wielkopolski IG-2, WoŸniki K1 and Patoka 1 wells, drilled in the Polish part of Germanic Basin. The magnetic polarity stratigraphy is based on the inclination of the characteristic remanent magnetization, isolated in 60% of the total samples and found to be in general agreement with the expected Late Triassic inclination at the sampling sites. A total of 22 magnetozones from the integration of the three records correspond to about 25% of the published polarity zones for the Upper Triassic sediments that were combined in the worldwide composite polarity-time scale. The magne- tic polarity pattern, defined for the Schilfsanstein, fits very well with the one defined in the Tethys area for the upper part of the Julian sub-stage. According to the magnetostratigraphic data, the uppermost part of the Upper Gypsum Beds (equivalent to the Ozimek Member of the redefined Grabowa Formation) and the lowermost part of the Patoka Member, containing the Krasiejów bone-breccia horizon, can be correlated with the latest Tuvalian (~228.5 Ma) or with the middle part of Lacian (~225 Ma). However, if the “Long-Tuvalian” option for the Late Triassic Time Scale is taken into consideration, the parts of these substages mentioned above should be correlated with ~221.5 Ma and ~218.5 Ma, respectively. Key words: Magnetostratigraphy, Grabowa Formation, Upper Triassic, Germanic Basin, Poland. Manuscript received 27 January 2015, accepted 8 July 2015 INTRODUCTION The lithofacies of the Upper Triassic (Keuper) strati- stratigraphy provides the only means of improving regional graphic succession of the Germanic basin, including its Pol- and global correlation of the Keuper succession. In the bio- ish part, reflect alternating shallow-marine and continental stratigraphy of the Germanic Keuper, the main tool enabling environments and fluctuations between arid and humid cli- chronostratigraphic correlation is palynostratigraphy. For matic conditions. The layer-cake lithostratigraphy is broa- the purpose of this paper, it is important to note the most im- dly uniform throughout the basin; it resulted from the inter- portant and accurate palaeobotanical data supporting the ac- play between eustatic and climatic fluctuations, overwhelm- curacy of the magnetostratigraphical correlation. This con- ing the entire Western Tethys domain during Carnian– cerns in particular the Schilfsandstein (Stuttgart Fm), pre- Rhaetian time. This created a sequence-stratigraphic frame- cisely dated as Julian by means of both palynonomorphs work linking the well established bio- and chronostratigra- (Or³owska-Zwoliñska, 1985; Fija³kowska-Mader et al., phy of the Alpine Upper Triassic records with its Germanic 2015) and megaspores (Wierer, 1997). On the other hand, equivalent, which is without age-diagnostic fossils (Szulc, very careful and detailed study applying lithofacies exami- 2000). Also the regional extent of climatic variation (arid nation, palaeozoological and palynological analyses and se- vs. pluvial conditions) supported the reliable correlation of quence-stratigraphy procedures unequivocally indicates a the main Upper Triassic lithostratigraphic units with their late Fassanian–Longobardian age of the Lower Keuper suc- Alpine time equivalents (Feist-Burkhardt et al., 2008). cession including the Grenzdolomit interval (Or³owska-Zwo- Nonetheless, the scarcity of age-diagnostic fossils, limited liñska, 1985, Szulc, 2000, Narkiewicz and Szulc, 2005) and to only a few units (see below), impedes more detailed bio- Franz et al. (2015). and chronostratigraphic study, with the result that magneto- 664 J. NAWROCKI ET AL. Fig. 1. The cores selected for palaeomagnetic investigation. A. Location of the cores studied on a sketch map of the distribution of the Upper Triassic sediments in Poland (after Fig. 52 in Deczkowski, 1997). B. Lithostratigraphy of the Upper Triassic deposits from the Ksi¹¿ Wielkopolski, WoŸniki K1 and Patoka 1 cores. The Late Triassic magnetic polarity scale has been de- with that found in the upper part of the Newark Supergroup veloped in marine and nonmarine sections. The Late Trias- succession (Hounslow et al., 2004). Results of magnetostra- sic deposits of the Newark Basin allowed to reconstruct a tigraphic correlation of Tethyan sections with the succes- cycle-scaled record of magnetic reversals in which the top sions of the Newark basin reveal that the base of Rhaetian is of the youngest magnetozone E24 is as old as 202 Ma (Kent placed between chrons E16n and E16r (Hüsing et al., 2011). et al., 1995; Kent and Olsen, 1999). This mixed magnetic Gradstein et al. (2012) have presented the calibration of po- polarity behaviour is characterized by quite long normal or larity patterns in relation to ammonite zones defined in reversed magnetozones alternating with short-lived ones. magnetostratigraphy reference successions (Hounslow and Magnetostratigraphic correlation between the terrestrial Muttoni, 2010) where the ammonite zonal boundaries were Newark polarity scale and biostratigraphically calibrated adjusted to the Newark magnetic polarity scale. The Julian scales from the Ladinian through Rhaetian marine sections part of this synthetic scale was constructed according to the from the Alpine area is difficult because of different sedi- data obtained from the reference sections in the Alpine area mentation rates and tectonic deformations (Krystyn et al., and Turkey (Gallet et al., 1992, 1998). The upper Carnian 2002; Channell et al., 2003). On the other hand the mag- through Norian slice was mostly constructed by the means netostratigraphy of terrestrial to shallow-water sediments of the data from the locality at Pizzo Mondello in Sicily from the St. Audrie’s Bay section in the UK matches well (Muttoni et al., 2004) and the Silická Berezová succession MAGNETIC POLARITY OF UPPER TRIASSIC SEDIMENTS 665 of Slovakia (Channel et al., 2003). The uppermost Norian to lowermost Rhaetian interval was correlated with conodont zones defined in Austrian sections (Gallet et al., 1998; Krystyn et al., 2007; Hüsing et al., 2011). The middle Rhaetian through lowermost Hettangian part of the scaled polarity pattern was derived from the southern Alps (Mut- toni et al., 2010). Because of the deficiency of adequate correlation markers, Gradstein et al. (2012) presented two alternative versions of the Late Triassic magnetic polarity scale. According to a concept with a long-duration Tuvalian substage and presence of the Rhaetian gap in the Newark scale, the Late Triassic is subdivided into ~16-myr long Carnian and Norian of the same duration. The Rhaetian cov- ers a 4 myr time span only. In the option with short-lasting Carnian and occurrence of Rhaetian in the Newark scale, the Late Triassic is subdivided into 8 myr long Rhaetian and 19 myr long Norian. In this model the Carnian Stage covers ~10 myr time span. The Schilfsanstein of Western Europe sections was palaeomagnetically studied by Hahn (1984). The older part of this unit, sampled in the Weserbergland and Franken, dis- played normal magnetization only. On the other hand, its younger part sampled in the Schwaben and N. Switzerland was magnetized in the reverse direction. Unfortunately, the samples studied were not linked with any geological pro- files. Therefore, the possibility cannot be excluded that the Fig. 2. Formal and informal lithostratigraphic units of the Up- two magnetozones distinguished there cover only a small per Triassic in Upper Silesia. After fig. 2 in Szulc and Racki part of the Schilfsanstein. (2015), modified. In this paper the authors present preliminary magneto- stratigraphic data on the Upper Triassic sediments of the tire Germanic Basin. The overlying interval, represented Germanic Basin in Poland, in its central and marginal (Up- mainly by grey mudstones and claystones with anhydrite in- per Silesian) parts. Poor biostratigraphic documentation, tercalations, corresponds to the Lower Gypsum Beds. These stratigraphic frames that correspond mainly to lithological pass into the Schilfsandstein, which mainly consists of grey and environmental lines of evidence, and gaps in sedimenta- mudstones and sandstones with some coal seams. The grey tion (e.g., Szulc et al., 2015) do not favour these rocks as sandstones and mudstones pass gradually into reddish mud- very promising ones for regional magnetostratigraphic cor- stones with traces of roots. The Schilfsanstein is overlain by relation. On the other hand, the succession contains red beds the Upper Gypsum Beds, included as the Ozimek Member that provide a reliable primary palaeomagnetic signal, in the revised Grabowa Variegated